The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-09-14
HINDoo RELIGION IN CALCUTTA.
A Dirty Devotee- Sacrificing Goats-Edu-
cation, Cremation, Cleanliness.
Calcutta Cor. Glasgow Herald

cation, Cremation, Cleanliness.
Calcutta Cor. Glasgow Herald
The Hindoos are great in religious pro-
cessions, and you can hardly be long in
the street without meeting one of them.
An idol dressed n gaudy muslin and
tlnsel is carried along to the sound of the
tom-tom-a melancholy sort of drum
and accompanied by quite a crowd of
fdlers, evidently bent on amusing them
selves We followed one of these groups
toward evening one day, and found that
they ended by throwing the idol into the
river Another time we found a crowd
following a devotee, a dirty looking fell
low, holding his right hand on high in
rigid position. We saw that the nst had
been clenched in so long that the nails
had grown through the hand. and stuck
out at the back fully an inch We had
read of such a thing, but thought it no
longer existed; but there it was, in
crowded street in Calcutta not stones
throw from the schools of the church
mission, and hundreds of natives follow!
ing the man in admiration and reverence.
Superstition is rampant here. Temples
are in every street They are in general
poor eTeCtions, with tawdry decorations
and hideous gods and symbols of wor-
ship. Brahmin priests are waiting about,
and crowds constantly going in not il
reverence or silence, but with continual
chatter which is perfectly deafening. At
one temple which we visited they were
sacrificing goats: The head of the poor
beast was stuck in between two sticks
and held down with a pin, and then
chopped off with one blow of q heavy
knife This was done to about twenty
five goats while we were there. These
are the substitutes for the human sacri-
fees that at one time were made to the
idol Kali and we be. ieve that more than
IL
pie As the heat was great, and the whole
paoe cry untidy, the smells were most
disagTeeabie. " hate er may be the prin-
ciples of the HindoO religion. we formed
the very lowest opinion of its practices.
There are many excellent educational
institutions. both governmental and pri-
vate, in the native part of Calcutta, and
large numbers of natives speak English,
but the great bulk of the common people
seem sunk in ignorance. Cremation is
practiced by the Hindoos and you will
often see a couple of coolies trotting along
with bundle suspended from a bamboo
pole This is a dead BODY being taken to
the burning CRATE, which is an Enclosure
by the river side. Here the bodies are
placed on piles of wood, the legs tucked
under to shorten the pyre, and the fire is
lit, while few seeming indifferent spec
tatOrs stand about. The ashes are after
ward gathered in basket and thrown in
the river. The scenes along the banks of
the river are very interesting. There are
numerous CHATS, as they call the flights of
steps usually ornamental with a colon
naGe at the top.
Here great numbers of people are con-
tinually bathing and washing their scanty
garments, all ages and both sexes mixed
promiscuously together The Hindoo
women of the 10 wer classes do a great
deal of outdoor work They mix lime
and carry bricks for the builders and bear
great loads of produce from the country
on their heads They never wear shoes,
but some of them paint their feet so as to
resemble them. They all wear great
quantities of cheap .ewelry-anklets.
about as heavy as horseshoes, bracelets,
armlets. earrings and nose rings and
rings on the fingers and on the toes. The
raiment is of the thinnest-whte, red and
yellow principally-is gracefully folded
round the person and throw over the head.
No HindoO woman ever wears hat or a
cap. The better class of females, we
suppose, are secluded in the zenanas, as
we never saw any, although many closed
carriages are to be seen in the streets and
drives, which we suppose contained
Hindoo ladies'